WHITE PANICLE1, a Val-tRNA Synthetase Regulating Chloroplast Ribosome Biogenesis in Rice, Is Essential for Early Chloroplast Development

Chloroplasts and mitochondria contain their own genomes and transcriptional and translational systems. Establishing these genetic systems is essential for plant growth and development. Here we characterized a mutant form of a Val-tRNA synthetase (OsValRS2) from Oryza sativa that is targeted to both chloroplasts and mitochondria. A single base change in OsValRS2 caused virescent to albino phenotypes in seedlings and white panicles at heading. We therefore named this mutant white panicle 1 (wp1). Chlorophyll autofluorescence observations and transmission electron microscopy analyses indicated that wp1 mutants are defective in early chloroplast development. RNA-seq analysis revealed that expression of nuclear-encoded photosynthetic genes is significantly repressed, while expression of many chloroplast-encoded genes also changed significantly in wp1 mutants. Western-blot analyses of chloroplast-encoded proteins showed that chloroplast protein levels were reduced in wp1 mutants, although mRNA levels of some genes were higher in wp1 than in wild type. We found that wp1 was impaired in chloroplast ribosome biogenesis. Taken together, our results show that OsValRS2 plays an essential role in chloroplast development and regulating chloroplast ribosome biogenesis.